Let’s
start at the beginning with the skirt, which measures 44cm waist by
57cm long. It is designed with a lace finish at the bottom of the
skirt, with pleats.

I am
aiming to complete the bag from the skirt, with a second fabric for
lining, in this case using a former cotton duvet cover.

After
some thought, I have decided to keep the lace at the bottom, and the
pleat which I love. I did debate turning the skirt upside down and
having the lace at the top, I decided against this as the lace did
not line up neatly if I recreated the pleat at the bottom.

Remove
the waistband and zip, and retain both for reuse when making the
bag.

Straps:

Measure
the skirt to work out the options for dimensions. I prefer shoulder
straps which are at least 52cm long and 4cm wide, plus seam
allowance… my skirt is only 50cm.

Decide
on measurements. In this case I have measured in 9cm from the top of
the skirt and cut down to enable four strips of fabric 9cm wide to
create the straps. I will join two pieces together to create long
enough straps. If the skirt is longer you will only need two pieces
of fabric 9cm wide.

Create
the shoulder straps. Cut your fabric .If necessary join the pieces
to together to create two pieces of fabric 55cm by 9cm. Iron on
interfacing 53cm by 8cm to each piece: this will strengthen the
straps.

Fold
the fabric in half and fold in the seams (1cm seam allowance).

Stitch
both sides of the straps, to add strength.

Bag

Cut
the remaining fabric into two equal sized pieces of fabric,
remembering to allow seam allowance, to create the body of your bag.
I cut off some of the depth from the top of main body of the skirt
to create two pieces of fabric

Add
any decoration you wish. I have added an appliquéd butterfly.
Firstly I researched appliqué images on line, and then sketched out
a design. I then traced this onto the paper side of bondaweb. Then I
ironed the bondaweb onto appliqué fabric, and cut out desired
shape, placed onto bag, and ironed on. I used a tight zigzag stitch
stitch around all raw edges.

Sew
up the three seams, right side together, leaving the fourth seam
along the top open, creating the main body of the bag. Finish the
seams as you like (I suggest a zigzag stitch on the raw edges)

Lining

Cut
fabric the same size as the bag fabric, allowing a seam allowance.
Due to the pleat in the bag I have cut my fabric to the width at the
top, and width at the bottom, so that I do not have pleats and
pockets on the lining to contend with.

If
you would like internal pockets create them now. In this bag I have
included a simple pocket. Hem a piece of fabric to the size of
required pocket. Place on the fabric (I always measure to ensure it
is in the middle of the bag and parallel to the top of the bag). Sew
around the three pocket sides, with the fourth seam left open as the
opening to the pocket at the top.

Joining
all parts of the bag together:

Measure
the waistband to fit the main body of the bag.

Insert
magnetic clasp into the middle of each side of the waistband

Measuring
from the centre unpick part of the waistband seam to insert the
strap. I unpick 5cm of the waistband per strap equa distance from the
magnetic clasp. On this bag the straps have 18cm between them (the
clasp in the middle at 9cm)

Place
the lining inside the bag, wrong sides together. Pin and tack the
lining and the body of the bag along the top.

Tack
the right side of the waistband onto the top of the bag, right sides
together.

Sew
the waist band on

Stitch
the two sides of the waistband together.

Finally
stitch the other side of the waistband on the inside of the bag,
tucking the seam allowance into the waistband. I always tack this
first too :)

Brilliant
and congratulations one finished bag :)

Vicky Myers Creations, selling handmade recycled bags, is born out of a need to be creative, and a love that I've had all my life of preserving the environment.

I have always made, inspired by our wonderful world, creation is constant and yet changing. Over the years this has involved textile three dimensional wall hangings, photography and handmade cards. But with children arriving I struggled for a few years to find a creative outlet which I could pick up and put down, around the demands of having a family. During this time I learnt to knit… but now I am far more excited to be tapping into my interest in conserving the environment, with my creativity to make bags…

I'm loving the fact former clothes can be upcycled into new creations, and the fact each product can be either half made, or fully made in a toddler nap slot!!! I do not need 5+ hrs in one go to engage my creativity!

Since starting my business I have enjoyed the steep learning curve, creating an Etsy shop, blog, joining twitter, a whole new world. Along the way I have been delighted with people’s generosity with constructive feedback and assistance.

Blessed with a gift of creativity I feel it is important to develop and appreciate it:) My focus is creating beautiful recycled bags out of old clothes.

Thanks for visiting my site and leaving a comment, I really appreciate each and every one. I will reply to each of your comments, sometimes it does take a while to get around to all of them, but I will reply within 24 hours of you posting. :)